International Interior Design Association

A couple weeks ago, we brought you a story about IIDA chapter leaders and the lives they lead, including the designer obsessed with “Love Island.” Today, we bring you another round of chapter leader spotlights, with details about their surprising skills, favorite pieces of pop culture, and daily rituals. (Spoiler alert: One designer, when asked who she’d switch lives with for a day, chose a beloved pet.

IIDA and OFS convene design leaders and student members for a series of webinars delving into the ins-and-outs of the job hunt — how students can find their first design job, choose a specialty, and thrive in a corporate environment. Show potential employers you’re ready to succeed with IIDA’s Early Career Accelerator Those who watch this webinar series are eligible for the IIDA Early Career Accelerator micro-credential. Watch all three episodes and complete a short quiz.

This article was originally published in the July 27 issue of officeinsight. More than half of U.S. employees now use AI at work. Gallup’s latest workforce data puts the number at 52%, up from just 27% two years ago. That’s the first time it’s crossed the halfway mark. That shift happened fast, so fast that most workplaces haven’t caught up yet. But that 52% figure isn’t the only attention-grabbing stat. Among employees who’ve folded AI into just one or two tasks, 45% report a real productivity boost.

You already know that IIDA chapter leaders are highly skilled designers, committed volunteers, and kind people. But you probably don’t know the details of their everyday lives: the TV shows they can’t stop thinking about, the small rituals that brighten their days, the things they can’t live without. So, we asked them to tell us. Read on to learn more about your leaders, from their guilty pleasures — “Love Island” makes an appearance — to the best advice they ever received.

A recurring challenge within the IIDA Ohio/Kentucky Chapter community? Helping designers and firms understand the value of professional engagement with IIDA. The chapter gathered feedback to understand where the gap in professional engagement is and how to combat it. The answer was simple: Designers need a tool they can bring to their firms and broader design communities that communicates the professional and business value of IIDA beyond social networking.

Can you share a pivotal moment for you in your career? A pivotal moment in my career came about five years in, when I was promoted to director of a plant with more than 700 employees. I remember feeling the full weight of that responsibility almost immediately. It was no longer just about my own performance or career path. It was about the people in that plant, their families, and their livelihoods.

Can you share a pivotal moment for you in your career? Honestly, this question could not have come at a more perfect time because I am currently living that pivotal moment. Recently, I made the decision to step away from a career in design and pursue a path that felt more authentic to who I am. Making that leap was scary. Not because I thought it was the wrong decision, but because major life changes always come with uncertainty. Then I found KI, and it felt so natural that it almost seemed obvious.

The future is coming at super speed. A recent statement signed by nearly 200 economists and researchers, including 15 Nobel laureates and the chief economists of Open AI (the creator of ChatGPT) and Anthropic (creator of Claude), cautioned that the effects of artificial intelligence could be “larger than the Industrial Revolution, but unfolding over a vastly shorter time frame.” The title of the statement? “We Must Act Now.” But it’s not just tech.

IIDA Alabama Chapter Kylie McGriff, Assoc. IIDA Elisaveta Zhelyazkova, Assoc. IIDA IIDA Carolinas Chapter Madelyn Cichyz, Assoc. IIDA Cora Embree, Assoc. IIDA Mickie Hoover, Assoc. IIDA Kellyn Messel, IIDA Danielle Michalopoulos, Assoc. IIDA Shelby Paddock, Assoc. IIDA Brooklyn Poff, Assoc. IIDA IIDA Delta Regional Chapter Hannah Page, Assoc. IIDA Kirstie Schexnaydre, Assoc. IIDA IIDA Florida Central Chapter Jerrylyn Edwards, IIDA Teranek Jackson, Assoc. IIDA Kayla Reiff, Assoc. IIDA Lindsay Wagner, Assoc.

(Above: Photo by Tuca Reines) Beauty is a sort of lingua franca, a shared language that crosses borders and belief systems. The same goes for good design. And let me tell you, the spiritual spaces below are prime examples of stunning design, all the more transcendent because they encourage people to connect with a higher power — or tap into the power within.